Thailand is establishing itself as a driving force for a push towards organic agricultural products within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, by starting initiatives to bring its regional neighbours together to develop respective strategies.

One part of the move is the plan of Thailand’s commerce ministry to seek support from ASEAN members to set up an ASEAN Organic Agriculture Federation which would be aimed at boosting organic agricultural products in the regional market. Such a federation would also strive to improve the quality and standards of ASEAN organic agricultural products and be an instrument to bargain in the global market, commerce minister Apiradi Tantraporn said.

The federation will convene for the first time at the upcoming Organic & Natural Expo 2017 (ONE 2017) to be held on from July 27 to 30 in Bangkok’s Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. It is the largest exhibition of organic and natural products in the region and has been held for seven consecutive years.

This year, the expo will host more than 200 exhibitors showcasing products from ASEAN countries to an audience of estimated 45,000 visitors. This year’s focus lies on innovative organic products, and the expo programme also schedules an academic symposium on the organic sector and workshops on organic products and product development.

The expo is seen as a rare opportunity for organic agriculture and food entrepreneurs from all over ASEAN to showcase and sell their products, such as rice, vegetables, fruits, cosmetics, beauty and wellness products.

For Thailand, the expo is seen as a driving force for the organic sector’s sustainable growth in accordance with the country’s agricultural development that aims at fair usage of farm labour, inclusive distribution of income, appropriate use of technology and the preservation of the natural ecosystem. It should also enforce the strong trend towards organic products in Thailand that commenced two years back.

Thailand’s organic agricultural sector was worth 2.7 billion baht ($79.4 million) last year, with one billion baht in exports and 1.7 billion baht from the domestic market. The commerce ministry expects organic agricultural products will have a sales volume of three billion baht this year, up ten per cent from last year, with half of the total from exports and the rest from the domestic market.